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"So, honey, what I’et into that house and clean I know he hasn’t been up to it, and I don’t mean any offense, Lord knows I think the world of Doc, but I expect he needs so now’d be a good ti in I’ve had the key all this tiirls He never did want the key back" She paused "But I thought I better call and see what you said"
The key was more or less a symbolic matter He didn’t lock his front door Nobody in Grace did "I think the cleaning’s a good idea But I also think he’d be mad" I hesitated, uncertain of my loyalties Outside myI could see John Tucker in the courtyard with a tapethe hundred-year-old beams that supported the roof of the back porch I knehat it was about-the Historic Register I had a brainstoro through the attic and dig up some old documents on the house and the land for the historic preserve thing I’ve beento do it, and you could help h stuff, and that we just got carried away and beat the rugs and mopped the bathroom while ere at it If he even notices"
Uda undertook the conspiracy with the relish of a crireed to meet her at Doc Homer’s in half an hour
The attic was pleasantly chilly and smelled of pine Decades of suh floorboards, which in cooler weather hardened to little amber marbles that scattered in all directions as we shifted trunks and cardboard boxes The afternoon is fixed in my memory with the sharp smell of resin and that particular a around in a box It’s surprising how s unnoticed at the time
I was amazed by e found Doc Homer’s disease had manifested itself mostly downstairs; up here, our past was untouched by chaos Stacked boxes of Hallie’s and my old clothes, school papers, photo albums, and all kinds of other detritus stood in neat rows, labeled chronologically and by content I felt overwhelmed by so much material evidence of our family’s past I couldn’t think why he’d kept it He was so practical What conceivable use did he foresee for a box marked "ALICE, MATERNITY," for example? But you don’t ask questions of an attic Museums are their own justification
"Look," I said to Uda, tipping up a cardboard box so she could see inside: some thirty pairs of black orthopedic shoes stacked fros in a crate There was a little more variety than I’d remembered Two pairs were rather dapper little saddle oxfords, black and uely did remember this-we’d been allowed to order them in charcoal suede
Uda had a full-front apron over her old trousers and a print blouse, and she looked prepared for anything Her lavender hoop earrings ies, and she’d tied a red handkerchief over her hair I was te She bent over besideit like an orphaned bird "Law, he was so careful about you girls and your feet I reh to want heels there’s going to be the Devil to pay"
I laughed "He wasn’t just careful He was obsessed"
Uda looked down at irls," she said "It’s hard for a man by himself, honey You don’t kno hard He worried himself to death A lot of people, you knoould just let their kids run ever which way"
She stopped, cocking her head a little, staring at the shoe in her hand "One year for Christuns, and you just loved theuns He didn’t want you killing, even pretend I felt awful that I’d done that, once I thought about it He was right"
As she talked, I reuns Hallie and I had tried to claied to us He stood in front of the , his thin face turned to the light, speaking to the world outside: "I will not have the neighbors ar my children like mercenaries" I’d looked up "mercenaries" in the dictionary, later, and felt asha did you take care of us?" I asked Uda
"Oh, I expect close to ten years all in all Till you was about fourteen and Hallie was eleven You remember that You’d come up after school and we’d play Old Maid or you’d play swinging statues out in the yard We had us a tio tend a baby or so you’d run off with the Doone to" She laughed "I liked to skinned you alive a couple of tiirls was a couple of live potatoes She was bad and you orse"